The North Alabama men’s basketball team is among the most storied of any in the state. Established in 1932, the Lions competed at the Division II level for the first 86 years of their existence. During that period, they reached 14 NCAA Tournaments, appeared in five Final Fours, and became one of just ten DII basketball teams to win multiple NCAA championships. UNA was the first of Alabama’s universities to lay claim to a men’s basketball national title and remains one of just two in-state schools to accomplish the feat (Birmingham-Southern won two NAIA championships during the 1990s).

In 2018, the university joined the Division I Atlantic Sun Conference, a move that did not immediately pay dividends for its men’s basketball program. Faced with an increased level of competition, UNA struggled to replicate its previous success, finishing its inaugural D1 season with a 10-22 record. The team spent the early 2020s trying and failing to find consistency: although the Lions posted a 13-11 mark during the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 campaign, they regressed to an ugly 9-21 the following year.

Things began to look up in 2022-2023. Led by a capable backcourt of Daniel Ortiz, Jacari Lane, and KJ Johnson, UNA upset Ole Miss on the road, claimed road victories over Morehead State and Jacksonville State, and strung together two separate four-game winning streaks during Atlantic Sun play. The Lions’ run of form propelled them to their best-ever D1 record. Although they failed to advance in the 2023 ASUN conference tournament, UNA was nevertheless invited to the postseason College Basketball Invitational, a first for the program.

The 2023-2024 campaign marked another step in the right direction for the Lions. The team posted a slightly less impressive record, but they took Kansas State to overtime on the road, racked up a win over eventual conference champion Stetson, and upset third-seeded Lipscomb on the back of an extraordinary Johnson buzzer-beater.

Want madness?

WE GOT YOUR MADNESS!#RaiseTheROAR | #RoarLions 🦁🔥 pic.twitter.com/PTTwkq6W4t

— North Alabama Men's Basketball (@UNA_Basketball) March 6, 2024

Since Johnson’s shot, UNA has looked like an entirely new program. Helmed by seventh-year coach Tony Pujol, who has led North Alabama since its Division I transition, the Lions have emphatically improved on last year’s results, finally achieving the breakthrough they’ve sought for nearly a decade. Pujol’s squad currently sits at 14-7 and 6-2 in conference play and is on pace to set the school record for single-season D1 wins. On January 23rd, UNA blew out conference powerhouse Lipscomb in front of an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 2,700, a result that cemented the Lions’ status as an ASUN elite.

“Seven years in the making. Seven years in the making,” a galvanized Pujol told ESPN sideline reporter Lynden Blake after the game. After acknowledging former UNA coaches Bill L. Jones and Gary Elliott, both of whom won national championships at the school, Pujol turned to the raucous student section behind him and joined the celebration, walking into the stands and posing with fans.

UNA isn’t simply one of the best teams in the ASUN—it’s among the nation’s top mid-majors. Ken Pomeroy’s computer rankings peg the Lions as the 132nd-best team in the country; the program has never finished a season ranked higher than 250th, even during its previous runs of success. KenPom rates UNA above such power conference squads as Virginia, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, and Boston College.

The Lions’ renaissance has been catalyzed by an experienced, talented core. Although Johnson graduated over the offseason, Lane, Ortiz, and fifth-year senior Will Soucie return, teaming up with ultra-productive newcomers Taye Fields and Corneilous Williams.

The junior Lane is perhaps the Atlantic Sun’s most potent playmaker, averaging 16.3 points and 4.5 assists per game, while the senior Ortiz, who transferred back to UNA over the summer after spending last season at UAB, is among the conference’s premier three-point shooters. The fifth-year senior Soucie and the DII transfer Fields provide capable scoring and rebounding options on the wings—the latter has particularly dominated, averaging 11.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. At the center position, the Western Carolina transfer Williams averages 9.9 points and 8.5 rebounds a night.

On January 25th, two days after the Lipscomb win, Lane and Ortiz led the Lions to a thrilling home overtime win over Austin Peay, with the duo combining for 50 points and 8 made three-pointers. APU stormed back from a double-digit deficit to take a late two-point lead, but Lane banked home a clutch layup to rescue UNA and send the game to overtime. The Lions would subsequently pull out the victory.

WE ARE HEADED TO OVERTIME‼️‼️‼️#RoarLions🦁 pic.twitter.com/EcHdD8sstD

— North Alabama Men's Basketball (@UNA_Basketball) January 26, 2025

For their efforts in the wins over Lipscomb and Austin Peay, Lane and Ortiz were named the conference’s Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, respectively.

“I’m so eager [to get back on the floor],” said Ortiz. “I want to [win a championship] for this school, I want to do it for us. I feel like this is the year, man. I feel like we can make history.”

Riding a three-game winning streak, UNA will continue its season on Wednesday, January 29th, when it travels to Charlotte, NC, to take on conference rival Queens. Seeking to win their first-ever ASUN title, the Lions sit second in the conference standings, one game behind league-leading Jacksonville.